4 Simple Blood Sugar Hacks
I consider blood sugar handling as foundational to health. It's the reason why I bring it up all the time in my groups and with my individual clients. As many of you know, it's something I've personally struggled with. I like to think of eating for blood sugar balance as a non-negotiable and remind myself of it on a daily basis.
No matter what the health issue, if your blood sugar is wonky it will continue to be a blocking factor to your health and healing. Stubborn weight loss, endocrine issues like pms, infertility and thyroid problems all require blood sugar management in order to heal.
On a very practical level, when you're on the blood sugar roller coaster you will continue to have cravings and energy crashes that keep you reaching for sugar and starchy carbs. Believe me this has nothing to do with willpower and these cravings will get in your way of being able to make consistently positive choices around food that support your health goals.
Here are some signs and symptoms of blood sugar imbalance:
Excessive hunger even after you’ve eaten a meal within the past 90 minutes
Over reliance on sugar and starchy carbohydrates
Intense Cravings for sugar and/or starches
Irritable before meals
Irritable or Shaky if meals are skipped or delayed
“Hangry” feeling when you haven’t eaten
Sleep Issues - poor sleep patterns
Afternoon crashes and cravings
Fatigue that is relieved by eating
Moodiness
Anxiety
Inability to lose weight
Here are 4 Blood Sugar Hacks that can quickly help you become more balanced when it comes to your blood sugar.
Have protein, fat and fiber with each meal. This means nothing starchy without something to help blunt the absorption of glucose into your blood. This will help you from having the big spikes that keep you on the blood sugar roller coaster. So enjoy some nut butter with that apple, salad dressing with your greens or butter on your sweet potato).
Have 1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar in a tall glass (12-16 ounces) of water up to 30 minutes before your meals. This one is a twofer and who doesn’t love that!
Now, I’ve talked about this before in regarding to supporting digestion but here’s something I just learned on a recent podcast with biochemist and product developer Jessie Inchauspé speaking on blood sugar management. Vinegar also helps slow the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream and here’s how it works.
Acetic acid in the vinegar communicates with an enzyme in your stomach that breaks down glucose and tells it to slow down. It also goes to your muscles and tells them to soak up the glucose in your blood. This reduces blood sugar crash and reduces the amount of sugar circulating in your blood. Pretty cool huh? Now this can work with any vinegar (cause it’s about the acetic acid) but I recommend raw apple cider vinegar with the “mother” (which means it’s unrefined, unpasteurized and unfiltered) for its additional health benefits.
Breakfast sets the tone for the day. If you start with a savory breakfast with the focus on protein (eggs, steak, salmon, whey protein smoothie) you are more likely to stay satisfied for hours and not experience hunger and cravings This helps set your day up for an even keel and you will be much less likely to hit the bumps, spikes and crashes that leave you reaching for cookies and caffeine when you don’t want to be.
Get moving... even for just 10 minutes after you eat. Your muscles are a reservoir for glucose storage which is a good thing. Not only will you feel refreshed you will improve glucose uptake into your muscles (as oppose to your blood stream which requires increase insulin to manage) which will have a profound impact on your metabolic health. You will less likely feel fatigued and you will increase your metabolism. Sign me up!
If this speaks to you and you’d like individualized support to help you improve your metabolic health, I can help you! Click here to schedule a free discovery call and we can discuss a program that’s right for you.